New San Antonio-area homeowners protest problems
Residents of the Fairhaven subdivision in Schertz had "Open House" signs in their front yards Saturday as politicians and other officials listened to complaints of foundation cracks and sticking doors.

Residents Hold Open House To Protest Poorly Constructed New Homes
A group of San Antonio-area homeowners is so frustrated with the deterioration of their new homes they've held an open house for elected officials and others to try to bring attention to the problems. ...Residents said about one-third of the 210 homes in the neighborhood have issues.

Centex sues two local companies - Blames them for retaining wall collapse
Millions of dollars were spent by the subdivision's builder, Centex, repairing the wall and buying back 22 homes. Now, in the lawsuit, they are claiming they weren't responsible for the collapse. Centex says two local companies are to blame... But when Centex bought back those 22 homes, they bought their way into the HOA; giving them every right to sue the companies who designed and constructed the wall. If they win, homeowners probably won't see a dime of that money.

Schertz homeowners worried houses not safe
Some frustrated homeowners in Schertz say they're fed up with foundation problems, which are causing homes to slide and crack.  Fairhaven homeowner Diana Taylor worries a French drain built by Pulte won't be enough to protect her home. "We've had an engineer come with a report and tell us our home is sliding backwards.  I'm kind of tilting to the left like. They gave us the report and said they'd be back in six months," Diana told us...

Schertz residents appeal, ‘Buy back our houses'
Several homeowners in a Schertz subdivision whose homes have various structural problems, including cracking foundations, are requesting that the homebuilder buy back their homes. Homeowners who live in the Fairhaven subdivision off Interstate 35 and FM 1103 want Pulte Homes to buy back 55 homes. In a show of unity, all the homeowners will mail their letters, requesting a buy back from Pulte, on Saturday at the Schertz Veterans Post Office.

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 Paul G. Vick, Homeowner's attorney, statement
We have filed suit against PULTE HOMES, INC., PULTE HOMES OF TEXAS, L.P., and CENTEX HOMES, INC. in Bexar County District Court on behalf of ten families who were displaced from their homes because of the retaining wall collapse in the Rivermist neighborhood. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA), as well as other state law claims for damages associated with the wall collapse. Centex has described the collapse as an "unfortunate event"; however our clients believe it to be a gross breach of responsibility on the part of Pulte-Centex in failing to obtain proper permits as required by the International Residential Code and the International Building Code; failing to construct the wall in accordance with the engineering plans and specifications, and failing to follow standard engineering practices in the construction of the wall.

$200,000 bought nothing but trouble
Dominguez and two dozen other buyers shelled out more than $200,000 apiece for spacious, 11-acre-plus residential lots. They had big plans to start building custom homes quickly on their rustic properties near Leon Creek and move in. That was seven years ago. Today, the dream homes are just that — a dream...Clearwater Ranch totaled $4.3 million, according to deeds filed at the Bexar County Courthouse.

State fines Pulte Homes contractors in pay case
Construction contractors working at Pulte Homes development sites were hit with more than $540,000 in fines and penalties yesterday for allegedly failing to pay dozens of employees. The enforcement action was one of the largest in recent history focusing on the projects of a single home builder. Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office said that the laborers at the Pulte sites, many Brazilian immigrants, were not paid regular wages or overtime for several weeks of work by five subcontractors. Back wages totaled more than $190,000. ...Pulte failed to pay unemployment taxes and misclassified workers as independent contractors...